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Comments & Reviews
Razorcake — May 5, 2012
This novella (not quite a novel but longer than a short story) is broken down into four chapters. The chapters all involve a small group of characters in and around San Diego and Tijuana and while each character is not in each chapter, they all know one another and come from the same circle of friends. Each chapter also includes a dream, although it’s not necessarily the case that the chapter focuses entirely on the dream. The dreams seem to be the center of the novella, though. And in combination with the adventures of the characters outside of these dreams there are themes of longing, the redundancy and incomprehensibility of life, distaste for Southern California life, and, finally, (in the last chapter) an acceptance and peace in the midst of maturity. Adam Gnade’s style of writing is very descriptive, sometimes overly so, but it does well in helping to sculpt a scene.
Reglar Wiglar — May 5, 2012
Adam Gnade returns with a new novella—a newvella, if you will. The Heat and the Hot Earth continues the story of aimless youth Gnade established with, Hey, Hey Lonesome. If you’ve read this previous title, you will recognize a few names (Tyler, Ted Boone, Joey Carr) and be introduced to new ones. At least they were new to me, they may have made previous appearances as Gnade often revisits characters in his work. The chapters of The Heat and the Hot Earth are presented in the forms of letters, dreams and blog posts, and from the points of view of the different characters. New or old, it is purported that Gnade will, at some future point in time, unite these characters, situations and locations and tie them all together into one tight knot. Or not.
ALARM Press — March 3, 2012
Hey Hey Lonesome and The Heat and the Hot Earth were published in 2011 and share a lot in terms of structure and characterization. Both follow a group of teens (and one older character) in Southern California as they navigate relationships and try to find their place in an amorphous social order. Lonesome follows the paths of several characters as they move toward a house party; they move between astonishingly crude and aloof dialogue and highly emotional introspection. Its characters, for the most part, balance outer cool and inner turmoil. Hot Earth is more dynamic and simpler in structure; punctuated by a longing letter and a sneering Tumblr post from two characters, it reflects the callousness and romanticism of the modern teen.
The two novellas are connected through recurring characters and themes, and Gnade notes that he ultimately wants to link these stories with his longer novel, Hymn California, and another novella. Gnade says, “The whole universe of my characters is mapped out in a little three-inch-thick notebook. It's like a geometric cube of paper. I'm just following that map until it's done.” The connectedness of the stories gives the novellas a feeling not unlike those big ensemble teen comedies of the ’80s and ’90s; characters move in and out of each other’s orbits, brushing against each other as they go.
Roctober — March 3, 2012
I recently heard that all the characters in John Hughes films were supposed to live in the same neighborhood. The Home Alone house was next to Ferris Buehler’s house was across the street from the Griswolds, and across the wrong side of the tracks lives Andie and Duckie. I mention that because it seems like in all of Gnade’s books the SoCal youth that negotiate the world are friends and associates across titles. These two novellas (the latter the first Tumblr-core piece of literature) forward Gnade’s poetical prose style, and may someday make a great movie. With McCauley Culkin pumping his fist!
Comments & Reviews
This novella (not quite a novel but longer than a short story) is broken down into four chapters. The chapters all involve a small group of characters in and around San Diego and Tijuana and while each character is not in each chapter, they all know one another and come from the same circle of friends. Each chapter also includes a dream, although it’s not necessarily the case that the chapter focuses entirely on the dream. The dreams seem to be the center of the novella, though. And in combination with the adventures of the characters outside of these dreams there are themes of longing, the redundancy and incomprehensibility of life, distaste for Southern California life, and, finally, (in the last chapter) an acceptance and peace in the midst of maturity. Adam Gnade’s style of writing is very descriptive, sometimes overly so, but it does well in helping to sculpt a scene.
Adam Gnade returns with a new novella—a newvella, if you will. The Heat and the Hot Earth continues the story of aimless youth Gnade established with, Hey, Hey Lonesome. If you’ve read this previous title, you will recognize a few names (Tyler, Ted Boone, Joey Carr) and be introduced to new ones. At least they were new to me, they may have made previous appearances as Gnade often revisits characters in his work. The chapters of The Heat and the Hot Earth are presented in the forms of letters, dreams and blog posts, and from the points of view of the different characters. New or old, it is purported that Gnade will, at some future point in time, unite these characters, situations and locations and tie them all together into one tight knot. Or not.
Hey Hey Lonesome and The Heat and the Hot Earth were published in 2011 and share a lot in terms of structure and characterization. Both follow a group of teens (and one older character) in Southern California as they navigate relationships and try to find their place in an amorphous social order. Lonesome follows the paths of several characters as they move toward a house party; they move between astonishingly crude and aloof dialogue and highly emotional introspection. Its characters, for the most part, balance outer cool and inner turmoil. Hot Earth is more dynamic and simpler in structure; punctuated by a longing letter and a sneering Tumblr post from two characters, it reflects the callousness and romanticism of the modern teen.
The two novellas are connected through recurring characters and themes, and Gnade notes that he ultimately wants to link these stories with his longer novel, Hymn California, and another novella. Gnade says, “The whole universe of my characters is mapped out in a little three-inch-thick notebook. It's like a geometric cube of paper. I'm just following that map until it's done.” The connectedness of the stories gives the novellas a feeling not unlike those big ensemble teen comedies of the ’80s and ’90s; characters move in and out of each other’s orbits, brushing against each other as they go.
I recently heard that all the characters in John Hughes films were supposed to live in the same neighborhood. The Home Alone house was next to Ferris Buehler’s house was across the street from the Griswolds, and across the wrong side of the tracks lives Andie and Duckie. I mention that because it seems like in all of Gnade’s books the SoCal youth that negotiate the world are friends and associates across titles. These two novellas (the latter the first Tumblr-core piece of literature) forward Gnade’s poetical prose style, and may someday make a great movie. With McCauley Culkin pumping his fist!